WISN 12 News investigates who is cashing in on housing some of the state's most violent predators.

WISN 12 News investigates who is cashing in on housing some of the state's most violent predators.

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 6:06 AM CDT May 3, 2013

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT NOW A STUNNING WISN 12 NEWS INVESTIGATION -- THE COST OF HOUSING THE STATE'S MOST VIOLENT SEX OFFENDERS. AFTER SERVING PRISON TIME, SOME RETURN TO THE COMMUNITY UNDER THE STATE'S SUPERVISION. WISN 12 NEWS COLLEEN HENRY EXPOSES THE LUXURY RENTAL RATES PAID BY TAXPAYERS. JACK LECHLER, DICK KUNZ, AND DON MOGENSON ARE RETIREMENT BUDDIES. MEN ON A MISSION...TO SAVE THE STATE FROM ITSELF. JACK LECHLER - WE'RE OLD GUYS THAT ARE JUST LOOKING AT REALITY AND COMMON SENSE TWO YEARS AGO, THE STATE PLACED A SEXUAL PREDATOR AROUND THE CORNER FROM KUNZ'S MANITOWOC HOME...THE MEN STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS...AND CHECKING PROPERTY RECORDS. THE RENT ALONE LEFT THEM STUNNED. DICK KUNZ - $1500/MONTH FOR 480 SQUARE FEET, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE SIZE OF A 2-CAR GARAGE DICK KUNZ - THIS WOULD BE ABOUT 5 TIMES THE MARKET VALUE THE MANITOWOC SEX PREDATOR IS ONE OF 32 WHOSE SUCCESS IN TREATMENT EARNED THEM SUPERVISED RELEASE IN HOMES ACROSS THE STATE ...IN MARCH, THE STATE PLACED 2 SEXUAL PREDATORS IN MILWAUKEE'S BAY VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD. THE RENT THE STATE PAYS FOR THIS 1100-SQUARE-FOOT BUNGALOW: $2400 A MONTH. THAT'S THE GOING RATE FOR MANY OF MILWAUKEE'S TONIEST ADDRESSES...LUXURY HIGHRISES THAT BOAST MAJESTIC LAKE VIEWS AND AMENITIES LIKE SWIMMING POOLS AND FITNESS CENTERS. COLLEEN: $2400 A MONTH RENT ROXANNE JURKOWSK: AND WE'RE PAYING THAT? OH GOD 16 ROXANN JURKOWSKI HAS LIVED IN BAY VIEW FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. ROXANN JURKOWSKI - WHY CAN'T THEY GIVE IT TO PEOPLE, YOUNG CHILDREN WHO NEED IT ACROSS THE STREET, VITO SCHWARTZ ASKED THE SAME QUESTION. VITO SCHWARTZ: - $2400 A MONTH. THAT'S RIDICULOUS. HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH THAT? WISN 12 NEWS REVIEWED PROPERTY RECORDS AND LEARNED THE LANDLORD BOUGHT THE BAY VIEW HOME IN FEBRUARY FOR $98,000. IT'S ONE OF AT LEAST EIGHT PROPERTIES LINKED TO THAT SAME OPERATION. IT OFTEN BUYS FORECLOSED HOMES AND LEASES THEM TO THE STATE AT A PREMIUM. LIKE THE MANITOWOC HOME - THE OWNER BOUGHT IT FOR $35,000 - AND CHARGES THE STATE $1600 A MONTH... IN GREEN BAY - THE HOME COST 33,000 - RENTS FOR $1800 A BELOIT HOME COST $32,000 - RENTS FOR $1800 A MONTH. THE HOMES WERE PURCHASED BY SEVERAL LIMITED LIABILITY CORPORATIONS... 12 NEWS TRACKED THEM ALL BACK TO THIS FOND DU LAC OFFICE BUILDING. COLLEEN: WE'RE LOOKING FOR ERVIN FENSKE? LADY: SORRY 50 COLLEEN: DONALD WILSON? LADY: NO.55 COLLEEN: KIRK EVERSON? LADY: NO. COLLEEN: HE HAS THIS ADDRESS LISTED ON HIS WEBSITE. LADY: I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS, I'M SORRY 00 THE LANDLORD DID NOT RETURN CALLS SO WISN 12 NEWS TOOK THOSE QUESTIONS TO THE STATE. COLLEEN ASKS: WHO SIGNS THE DOTTED LINE? WHEN THEY DECIDE TO PAY $2400 FOR A PLACE THAT'S PROBABLY WORTH ABOUT $700 RENT? KEVIN MOORE/DHS - I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION OFF HAND. SOMEONE CAN GET THAT FOR YOU. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES' KEVIN MOORE SAYS FINDING HOUSING FOR SUPERVISED RELEASE SEX OFFENDERS IS VERY DIFFICULT. SEX OFFENDER DHS - PATD CLIP 3318 - 09:52:56 COLLEEN: YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE OF GUYS WHO'VE FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO IT REALLY, REALLY WELL, TO GREAT BENEFIT TO THEM FINANCIALLY, CLEARLY, WHY CAN'T YOU GUYS DO THAT? KEVIN MOORE/DHS - IF THERE WERE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMPETING FOR THIS LINE OF BUSINESS, OBVIOUSLY, THINGS WOULD PROBABLY LOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT IT'S NOT THAT CASE MOORE SAYS IT'S CRITICAL FOR THE STATE TO FIND SUITABLE, SAFE HOUSING QUICKLY - OR A JUDGE COULD ORDER THE PREDATOR RELEASED WITHOUT ANY SUPERVISION. BUT THAT DOESN'T SATISFY JACK LECHLER AND HIS BUDDIES... 12:36:20 JACK LECHLER - IF THEY IGNORE YOU AND WEAR YOU OUT, YOU'LL GO AWAY, AND THAT SEEMS TO BE THE WISH OF MOST OF OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS THEY'VE BEEN HOUNDING LAWMAKERS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE RUNAWAY COSTS OF HOUSING THE STATE'S MOST DANGEROUS SEX OFFENDERS. JACK LECHLER -WE DON'T NECESSARILY WANT TO BE THE 3 MUSKETEERS OR THE 3 AMIGOS BUT WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO BE THE 3 STOOGES THE STATE SPENDS MORE THAN A HALF-MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR TO HOUSE 32 ON SUPERVISED RELEASE - THE MEN NOTE THAT'S JUST A FRACTION OF THE TWO MILLION DOLLAR TOTAL COST TO KEEP THEM IN THE COMMUNITY...A PRICE TAG THAT INCLUDES MONITORING AND SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT. AND THE MEN HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN SOME ATTENTION FROM LAWMAKERS... THE LEGISLATURE AUTHORIZED AN AUDIT OF THE SUPERVISED RELEASE PROGRAM...TO DETERMINE IF COSTS ARE OUT- OF-LINE...AND SEARCH FOR POTENTIAL SAVINGS THAT WON'T COMPROMISE PUBLIC SAFETY. AND MANY ARE ASKING WHY THE STATE DOESN'T JUST BUY THE PROPERTIES ITSELF... THAT STATE HASN'T DONE THAT YET... ARGUING THE SUPERVISED RELEASE POPULATION IS SO FLUID, IT COULD BE LEFT HOLDING PROPERTIES WITH NO ONE TO LIVE IN THEM...BUT THAT OPTION WILL GET A NEW LOOK IN THIS AUDIT ... THANKS, COLLEEN